Re: Visual Basic and Oracle

H_H wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I am working as a software engineer, but I'd like to make a career change
> and go into the database field. Specifically, I'd like to eventually
> become an Oracle DBA. I don't have any working experience in databases.
>
> I was told that it is hard to be hired as a DBA if I haven't worked with
> databases.
>
> I noticed many companys want to hire junior VB programmers.
> In your experience, do you think that a position as a Visual Basic (+ SQL
> Server or Access) programmer would help me get started, or do you think
> this would be a bad career choice/path to begin with?
>
> Do you think that, let's say, 2 years down the road, a company would want
> to offer me an Oracle-related job even though I have experience in
> Access and SQL Server as supposed to in Oracle?
>
> I would greatly appreciate it if you shared your point of view on this.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.

DBA'a are expected to know about how Oracle works (architecture), how applications that use Oracle generally work (programming), and how the OS that Oracle is running on works (sysadmin). That's why they get paid so much money. Also, Oracle is used in different ways. As an on-line transaction processing system, as a data warehouse, and others.

Everyone should have a 1, 3, and 5 year plan for their career. Landing a job as an Oracle DBA is a fine 3 year goal IMHO - based upon your post. I suggest that you set up a machine at home - probably a M$ one since that is where your current experience seems to be - and join the Oracle Technology Network. It's free. Go to www.oracle.com to find it. Then order Oracle for your machine - about $200 for the developer version. Then get to work....

Spend some time reading about the Oracle architecture. Get a dummies book if you have to. Learn PL*SQL - oracle's application programming language. Read about the history of relational databases - and read about relational theory. If you are diligent, this will take about 6 - 9 months. Then try to get a job doing VB & Oracle building applications. You should have tried some VB & Oracle during the training I just described. Work as an application developer in this capacity for about 2 years. Attend all of the database design sessions and never pass up a chance to be involved in any Oracle programming.

Once you have gotten to this point, you'll know what to do.

Lastly - join a local chapter of the Oracle users group.... and make friends with a DBA. Received on Sat Mar 31 2001 - 08:06:19 CST